American Idol alums Daughtry and Kellie Pickler have announced new albums coming out this fall -- one of them has released a new song with a "new musical direction." And ahead of Carrie Underwood starring in the live Sound of Music event in December, a new poster has been revealed along with additional cast members.

Daughtry Releases "Waiting for Superman" and Announces New Album

Chris Daughtry and his band are gearing up for their fourth studio album by releasing a new single called "Waiting for Superman," which you can listen to below. The group has always been known as a rock band, but if this song is any indication, they're entering a new phase in their career by changing up their sound. "Superman" has elements of EDM (electronic dance music) while still holding on to their rock roots.

Chris admitted on Twitter they're trying out a new sound while announcing the title and date of their upcoming album: "In light of our new musical direction, it feels like a 'rebirth' of our band in many ways. Therefore the new album is official titled ... BAPTIZED ... New Album 'Baptized' Nov 19th!"

Fans are I'm sure excited for a new Daughtry album, but the bigger question is: do you like the new "musical direction"? As Chris put it, "I'm so proud of this record and very anxious for you all to hear it!"

Kellie Pickler Announces New Album The Woman I Am

Daughtry's not the only ones preparing for a new record to drop this fall. Chris' fellow season 5 finalist and Dancing with the Stars winner Kellie Pickler will release The Woman I Am on November 12, exactly one week before Baptized. While this is also her fourth studio release, it will be her first under a new label, Black River Entertainment.

She'll continue the classic country sound from 100 Proof that harkened back to Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she said, "I love that classic, traditional sound. I love that tear in Tammy Wynette's voice. There's still a little bit of that sound that we did on the last record, but it's not the same album."

The type of songs will vary from ballads ("Someone Somewhere Tonight") to country-rock ("Little Bit Gypsy") and more. She co-wrote "Bonnie and Clyde" with her husband, Kyle Jacobs, along with the title track. Other tracks include "Ain't No Cure for Crazy" and "Selma Drye" -- the latter is about her great-grandmother. As Kellie explains, "She was a spitfire. She lived in this little trailer in front of [my grandparents' house] for over 40 years. She never drove a car, never had a driver's license -- that was the devil. She was just a strong woman and that song is really about her and her generation of women, and how they were raised."

Another song on the album, "I Forgive You," was under consideration for her debut record Small Town Girl, but "It just wasn't meant to be at that time. I love this song because there's so much closure and healing [in it]. I think there's so much grace in the words 'I forgive you.' I think people are really going to identify with that and I hope that song helps a lot of people."

The Sound of Music Poster with Carrie Underwood

As we've reported on before, Carrie Underwood is set to star as Maria von Trapp in a live production of The Sound of Music later this year. NBC has released a poster featuring the Idol winner dressed as Maria, with the tagline, "The beloved family classic comes alive again!"

The network has also made casting announcements for additional roles: According to Entertainment Weekly, Private Practice's Audra McDonald has been cast as Mother Abbess, Laura Benanti (who you may know from Go On) will play Elsa Schrader and Smash's Christian Borle will step into the shoes of Max Detweiler. All have Broadway experience.

The Sound of Music Live! is set to air Thursday, December 5 at 8pm on NBC.